Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-08-26

Almost ToTSukcn thorolgnfarf. ana no
sound disturbed the silence but the praise
| singing Of some pious sisters in one of the
cvuyent~ that abound III the Haute V ille.
when \ Vicious young man, known a.
'Lc SguyaEe. approached JaCopo and
laughed and jcsted at him for his weeping
for a mere girl
You ought To be a girl yourself II
you want Ia find Claire why do You not 20
down to- the crypt of the cathedral at mid
night. and then you Will lind your sister"
The child looked up with his large. dark
eyes flashing with the light Of expectation.
And shall truly md ma chere Claire
there" .Iacop" asked.
''Of course you will, you little fool,
said the savage. as he ran off down one of
the ghostly streets Of old BuUloCne.
On that same night the fat old sacristan
of the cathedral was aroused from his
slumbcrs 10y hearing shrill cries issuing
from Somewhere i'll the great ediiicc. 1hs
hour was midnight Father Hiidchraua
crossed himself commended himself Ia tn.
protection Of the Holy Mother, and trply
armed i'll his faith, proceeded to search for
the cause of the mysterious sounds. As
his football echoed and rc-echoed through
the lonely uislcs his soul became troubled
thieves breaking into the church to rob il
of its sacrc! treasures What if-and
the thought made him Shudder-it were
some manifestation from another world,
But Father Iiildebrand crossed him
self anew and went on with renewed
strength of purpo>" At last he
reached the end Of the great cloister
and felt sure he heard the sob. and cries
4 child Advancing rDtlfi ,tlslN shlH-
ing his candle carefully with one hand, he
swept past the different to.nbs. Then he
saw a sight which arrested his further
progress for a minute In front of II g-eat
ancestral family tomb stood "A weeping
child with is hands ClasIed and held up
toward the shaft of moonlight which
pierced through one Of the narrow Sits in
the thick stone wall and Shone full upon
the boys face H. j." walled Ma Claire.
ma Claire. ma ~,r' r " ~ do NOu not come
to me when cali II j. only me, little
.Iacopo' oh. do not I've Ilnkind 10 your pet
il frere" The child NJ iast sank upon his
knees. swaycd for few seconds. and then
fell heavily upon the Il; mp stone squares
When Father liil.lchra'id reached the hoy
for. nf course. il WAS poor little Jacopo
a shaft Uf rlornlight s,as shining on his
face like stream of glory sent
from heaven. NuonC need to tell the rest
.lacnpo had only faiTtct, but il vas many
months before he arose from fever dur
ing which his black clusters of hair hid
turned pure white. He recovered, but
never could say word about the events
OF that terrible hight All he could cry
WAS. Claire, iug Claire Father Hide
brand took care Of tho poor child. Not
only had .Incnpo hair turrcd white. but
his quiet, steady blue eyes glStcnci with
light unknown I" sunlight: il was the
light that never shonc on land or sea.
He is now the darlin: of the poor Of
Bculo,ne. their mascot. their whatever
you please 10 call it, But Father Hide
brand declares that on hat shaft Of moon
light which swept down upon the praying
boy he perceived in ecstasy the form of
his heloNct Claire. nd why not ad
dcd my friend: docs not Claire mean the
moonlight, and Tlight not the straight
shafts of moonlight be the celestial
vehicle "f a vision I" the boy
That finished my friends story of
JaCopo.
The boy with the sup, NATURALLY wistful
eyes and the SHOW set hair is dead.
Jacopo died. with his hands fixed over his
breast in Il pious position, murmuring:
Claire. INA Claire, l am coming to join
thee in thy Fairgrounds. Why did you
leave me 50 lonely TO bc the child Of the
new year-the sad ills du jour de lam"
And Father IIildebranl. good soul, is in
consolahle. Death, he declares, while he
touches his breast and forehead and makes
the sign Of the santa cox has for him
no further tcrrors. Fertilization for the
eternities he had found in little Jacopo
Malcolm Mcpherson in Detroit Free
Press.